Social Conservative Review: An Insider's Guide to Pro-Family News

September 18, 2018

Dear Friends,

In my daily faith journey, I confess that I sometimes fall into a bad habit: I feel like I've "been there, done that." More to the point, I feel a kind of "spiritual sophistication" in which most of the preaching I hear and most of the articles on faith that I read just don't seem to measure up to my expectations. What's worse, I sometimes find myself getting annoyed and impatient that the preaching that I'm hearing or the article I'm reading is not what I feel to be sufficiently insightful.

As Matthew Westerholm has recently observed, this kind of "it takes a lot to impress me" attitude is actually a form of spiritual immaturity. He writes, "The more spiritually mature we become, the more we are easily edified." This should be something that all Christians should strive for—a spirit of simplicity, humility, and openness as we encounter the sermons, writings, songs, films, and other forms of spiritual communication that we encounter. This kind of attitude will prepare us to be surprised and delighted by the unexpected insights given to us by the Holy Spirit.

This attitude can also be carried over into every aspect of our daily lives, especially with the everyday conversations we have with others. If we strive to always be open when we encounter others, and avoid going into situations with preconceived notions about what we will or will not gain from them, we allow ourselves to be receptive to what the Lord is trying to teach us.

Thank you for your prayers and for your continued support of FRC and the family.